Time for another installment of Shelly’s Pet Peeves, Vent, De-Stressing Session…whatever you want to call it. I need to get a few things off my chest in regards to visiting the doctor’s office. It’s enough to get my blood boiling at times.
We all have to visit a doctor’s office…some of us have to visit more often than others. If you’re relatively healthy KUDOS to you. For those of us who have to visit often…well…what can I say?
Today I wanted to vent, moan & groan about all of those things at the doctor’s office that get under my skin & piss me off. I think some of you can relate.
1. Please respect my time as I respect yours! I always show up on-time for my appointments. However, the majority of physicians these days are rarely on-time for appointments! Just like you…I’m busy and I have things to do. Those things could be another appointment, a run to the school to pick up my grandchildren or whatever. Ninety percent of the time you’re late!!!
2. After seeing you for several years and seeing you regularly I expect you to know my name and my past history. I’m not a newbie to you and I shouldn’t have to repeat things EVERY FREAKING MONTH. I understand you see a lot of patients but come on now…this is getting ridiculous!
3. If your office is routinely busy you need to make sure you have enough parking for patients in your parking lot. Furthermore, you need to make sure you have enough comfortable seating in your waiting room. Some of us are sick, disabled, etc. We can’t walk 6 blocks to get in your door and then stand there for 30 minutes when all of the seating is full.
4. Hire competent staff! The patient shouldn’t have to tell your staff how to do their jobs! We shouldn’t know more about the billing process, how to submit claims, how to properly write out the name of a medication, and so forth. When people are incompetent that’s how medical mistakes happen!!!
5. If you’re going to write me a prescription or give me instructions on how to take medication, prepare for a test, etc. please make sure I can read your handwriting! Geesh…I’m tired of guessing at what that paper says!
6. Foreign born doctors need to speak clear and concise ENGLISH. I understand you may have an accent and I don’t have an issue with that. I do take issue if I have to repeatedly ask you to REPEAT yourself because I can’t understand what you’re saying. Equally as bad is when you can’t understand me!
7. I really wish more doctor’s offices would split up their waiting rooms to a sick area and a well-check area. I get tired of sitting beside other patients who are hacking up a lung and spreading their germs all over your waiting room. You need to keep patients separated to help cut down on the spread of germs!
8. Call backs! If I call you after hours its because its an emergency. I’m not calling to talk about the weather. Please return my call quickly and in a reasonable amount of time. Taking 3-4 hours to return my call because you were at the High School seeing your kid’s play is ridiculous!!! Get someone else to cover when you need several hours off.
9. Respect my opinion. If I don’t want such and such treatment or to try such and such medication, or to see another doctor for a second opinion…that’s my business. I heard what you had to say….now hear what I’m saying!!! Respect me and my decision on my own healthcare!
10. When you receive complaints about your staff from patients you need to follow up! Don’t assume that the patient is always wrong and your staff member is always right. You need to personally follow-up and deal with the issue. Don’t farm it out to another staff member who may be biased. It’s important that medical practices take doctor reviews by patients seriously and look to rectify any issues, especially reoccuring or common problems.
11. We know you have bills to pay, salaries to pay and an office to run. But…was it necessary for your billing department to send me a snail mail bill for .42 cents balance? I mean…really? Is that cost effective? Geesh. Okay.
I could really go on and on about this topic. I would love to hear from you about some of the things that go on in a doctor’s office that really irk you off and get under skin!
I am glad that i don’t have all these problems with my doctor. The worst one for me is when there are sick people in the waiting room and I agree that there should be another place for them to wait.
So sorry to hear you have so many problems with your Drs office. The only one that I can relate with is splitting up the office so the sick sneezing coughing people are not with the ones that have other issues.. My Husband and I had the experience of This happening to us a couple days ago where a lady was coughing and sneezing on us Both..My Husband and I both had the same thoughts on that issue..If they can’t split it up at least make them wear masks or something…Especially now with world wide virus going around. Actually now they should make them go to the Hospital Emergency room. This article was a awesome one.. Take care..
LOL I have to agree with you on so much that you said. I am one of those people that is always at least 15 to 20 minutes early for my appointment. When they finally take you in at least 15 minutes after my time. Then you get to sit in the room all by yourself and wait another 20 minutes or so.
I wish you could have my doctor. He is precious. He knows my name and my history. He is usually a little late getting into my room but that is because he does spend time with each patient. His last statement is “Do you have any more questions?”. I do wish they would separate the sick and not sick, especially now with these viruses.
This post is PURE GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love your idea of having a sick section and a well check section in the waiting room Amen! I just went to my doctor a week ago and to tell you the truth I would rather wait in my car until they called my name! There was a woman who came into the office while I was there and she was wearing a face mask and then the nurse ran and put on a face mask too. I was sitting there thinking WTH I don’t want what she has I want a face mask too!!! And of course you can’t ask Any questions. Then when they finally called me to the ‘little room’ they ran a thermometer across my forehead touching my forehead with it and I was sitting there thinking they run this thing across other people’s foreheads too OMG I was grabbing the disinfectant wipes in the room and cleaning the heck out of my forehead I will Never Ever let them do that to me again! I really like my doctor and he is good but he has had the worst luck with staff. One of them screwed up on my pharmacy she sent my prescription to the wrong pharmacy. When I called to tell her this on the phone she said and I quote… “I am not an idiot” and then she slammed the phone down and hung up on me! I had her shit canned!!!!! I too could go on and on and on regarding this topic. Thank you for posting this one. I do feel a little better! Oh and I agree Speak English we are in the United States and that is the primary language of the United States!